Ed Gillespie got caught attacking Virginia’s historic, bipartisan transportation bill – and now he’s lying about it. First, Gillespie criticized his opponent for supporting the transportation bill, which provided critical funding for Virginia’s transportation system and was signed by Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell, whose campaign Gillespie once chaired.

After facing sharp criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike, Gillespie denied ever launching the attack – turning a dishonest talking point into a flat-out lie.

“Partisan Hack Ed Gillespie got caught being himself – a political opportunist who will say or do anything to advance his own career – and now he’s lying about it,” said American Bridge spokesperson Lizzy Price. “Virginians deserve better, and Gillespie owes them an apology.”

Gillespie Attacked Northam For Supporting Bipartisan Transportation Bill. According to Richmond Times-Dispatch, “Gillespie wants you to know that Democrat Ralph S. Northam voted for ‘the largest tax increase in Virginia history.’ But Gillespie is conveniently leaving out a big […]

Read more after the jump.

It’s official. Ed Gillespie has wrapped his arms around Donald Trump saying he “absolutely” would welcome the President to campaign for him in Virginia. Gillespie is desperately trying to win over the most extreme right-wing in his party by cozying up to Donald Trump. It’s what he’s done his whole career: put his party and personal ambition first, and Virginia families last.

American Bridge spokesperson Lizzy Price made the following statement:

“Ed Gillespie cannot be elected governor because he’d never stand up to Trump. Even as the president campaigns to rip away health care coverage from over half a million Virginians, including 14,500 veterans, Gillespie is laying out the red carpet for him on the campaign trail. Virginians need a governor who will put Virginians first–Gillespie will always put Trump first.”

[LISTEN HERE]

Transcript:
JOHN FREDERICKS: It’s the middle of the campaign and I do not like […]

Read more after the jump.

In a radio call-in show this morning, Ed Gillespie refused to take a position on TrumpCare… AGAIN. In fact, he denied the fact that the Senate even had a TrumpCare bill at all. But we already know that Gillespie wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, no matter the cost to Virginia.
Here’s a few facts for Ed Gillespie on the Senate TrumpCare bill:

The Senate TrumpCare bill would rip away insurance from over half a million Virginians.
At least 14,500 veterans in Virginia could lose their insurance under the Senate plan by 2026.
The plan would leave fewer seniors covered by health insurance and make coverage more expensive.

American Bridge spokesperson Lizzy Price made the following statement:

“Ed Gillespie has turned his back on Virginians concerned about their health care being ripped away. […]

Read more after the jump.

After rubbing elbows in D.C. to pad his campaign coffers, Gillespie went to Main Street Alexandria to visit some small businesses.

What he must not have expected was getting questioned repeatedly by Virginia voters over his stalling on the dangerously destructive TrumpCare bill that would rip away insurance from over half a million Virginians.

American Bridge spokesperson Lizzy Price made the following statement:

“Ed Gillespie is once again stalling on TrumpCare, a life and death issue for many, and voters are not impressed. Lobbyist Ed can’t lead a state if he doesn’t understand the real issues that Virginia families face and recognize that this cruel bill would be a disaster for Virginians’ pocketbooks and their health.”

Check out one of those conversations below… she doesn’t look too thrilled with Gillespie’s response.

[ Read more after the jump.

The Congressional Budget Office finally released the non-partisan scoring of the newest TrumpCare plan.  Not only will this bill rip away health care coverage from 22 million Americans, it will also cause insurance premiums for those with chronic conditions to skyrocket and slash funding for Medicaid.

Ed Gillespie has previously called for the full repeal of the Affordable Care Act, but now he’s hiding from this disastrous bill that would leave Virginians paying more for less coverage and roll back efforts to fight the opioid epidemic… all for a few tax breaks for the wealthiest few.

State Waivers For Cutting Benefits: The new Trumpcare bill allows states to obtain a waiver to drop protections of essential health benefits like maternity care and prescription drugs, potentially leading to women paying thousands more for maternity care and seniors choosing between their regular prescriptions and groceries.

State waivers could lead to fewer […]

Read more after the jump.

Ed Gillespie has previously called for the full repeal of the Affordable Care Act, but today he’s hiding his position on this disastrous bill. The Senate bill would strip away Medicaid funding that Virginia relies on to fight the growing Opioid epidemic in Virginia. Not only that, but Virginia voters reject the plan 2 to 1 according to recent polling, concerned that increased health care costs and deep cuts to Medicaid would leave them with nowhere to turn.

Opioid Facts in Virginia:

At least 40,000 Virginians with substance abuse issues rely on Medicaid. [VCU School Of Medicine, January 2016]

At least 2 Virginians die per day from prescription opioid and heroin overdoses. [VCU School Of Medicine, January 2016]

More than 800 died from opioid overdoses in 2015. [Kaiser Family […]

Read more after the jump.

It’s been a rough week for Ed Gillespie. In a primary contest where he was “expected to cruise” to victory, Gillespie “just barely survived…in a shockingly tight contest.” Articles across the state and around the country pegged the tight contest as showing the “sharp fault lines” in a “deeply fractured” Republican party. Corey Stewart came within just over a point within besting Ed Gillespie. To make matters worse for Ed, he couldn’t excite Republicans to get out and vote for him in the first place–Republican turnout was a mere 40%, while Democratic turnout was 60%, almost 200,000 more votes.

That’s not all: Gillespie strongly supports Trump, whose popularity in Virginia is in free-fall, andlatest polling shows Gillespie trailing Democratic […]

Read more after the jump.

It should be no surprise that Gillespie is getting help from one of the most anti-worker politicians in the country – Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. When asked about Walker’s war on public employee workers’ rights, Gillespie said the move was “democracy” and “we ought to have more of it.”

Beyond cheering on Walker’s assault against the workers of his state, Gillespie has a long history of enriching himself at the expense of workers’ interests. Gillespie pushed for a bill that cut benefits for early retirees – a bill that workers were concerned would hurt their retirement security. He also worked to protect the bank accounts of corporations instead of the workers whose health and livelihoods were at stake.

Just take a look.

 

Gillespie Lobbied For Legislation That Allowed Companies To Cut Benefits For Early Retirees

2005-2006: Yellow Roadway Corp Paid Quinn, Gillespie For Lobbying The Federal Government On Its […]

Read more after the jump.

Just as a new Washington Post-Schar School poll shows just 36 percent of Virginia voters approve of Donald Trump – and a majority strongly disapprove – Ed Gillespie has been busy further aligning himself with Trump.

In a recent interview on conservative radio, former lobbyist Gillespie bragged about his close ties to the Trump administration, claiming he has “a lot of friends, obviously, working in this administration – in the White House.”  He also came out in favor of a Trump-like hard line immigration policy, pledging to deny DREAMers access to in-state tuition, making it harder for Virginia students to get ahead.

[LISTEN TO THE AUDIO HERE]

American Bridge spokesperson Lizzy Price made the following statement:

“Ed Gillespie has closely tied himself to the Trump administration, supporting him at nearly every turn. But Gillespie’s lobbyist friends in the White House can’t save him from Donald Trump’s sinking ship of collusion, chaos, and backwards policies that will hurt Virginians’ pocketbooks. […]

Read more after the jump.